Minato's Cabin
by Divine-Faithborn
Summary: When Minato repaired his son's seal, his mind returned to the afterlife. Content to spend eternity in contemplation, Shinigami offers him a gift. Drabble - Oneshot.


**A/N: This is a oneshot that I absolutely could not get out of my mind. Enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

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><p>The Cabin<p>

Minato did not truly know how long he had been there. The Shinigami had decided that the fourth hokage did not deserve an eternity in hell; the Dead Demon Consuming Seal was only used by the desperate or dying. As such, he found himself stuck in purgatory between worlds – a place where time did not flow evenly with the rest of the continuum.

Minato had been given leniency by the Shinigami when the god allowed his subconscious to remain inside of Naruto's seal until it was needed. He had spent the first 16 years of his death keeping a silent vigil over his beloved son. When he had been called to repair the seal, though, he had had forfeited his gift and been placed in his current location. That had been decades ago, and Minato had long since given up keeping track of the time.

Now he found himself inside of a small cabin locked away in an eternal snowstorm. There was a single bed that he had never slept in, one small fireplace that lit the room, a single desk and chair hidden off in a corner, two frosted over windows that revealed nothing of the outside world, and the door. Shinigami had told him about the door.

Outside that door lay infinite potential. It was a wasteland outside, though, the world ceased to exist beyond the frame of that door. Shinigami had told Minato that crossing over the threshold would lead to the death of his mind. In truth, the door was a physical metaphor – outside the door was where reincarnation existed. His soul could walk through the door and be reincarnated back into the world of the living, but his mind would not follow.

To Minato, there never was a door. No, he would never walk through that door. He would wait for eternity, perfectly content to remember his life. The fireplace was warm and comforting, he had long ago moved the bed beside the fire so he could sit and gaze into the flames. The flames never needed tending to and he never got hungry or tired. All he desired to do was stare into the fires and allow his memories to flow through his mind. Part of his purgatory allowed him perfect memory of his life.

So he stared for eternity. Minato had no regrets. If he had a second chance in his life, there would be nothing to change.

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><p>Minato stared into that fire for eternity, content to wait forever. Of course, the Shinigami had other plans.<p>

"**Minato…**" whispered his cold voice next to Minato's ear.

As if awoken from a hypnotic genjutsu, the fourth hokage raised his head to the god.

"Yes Shinigami-dono?"

"**You have not once contemplated the door…**"

"No, I do not desire a second chance or a second life. I am fine with the memories of this life."

"**Very Well**," said the god. With a sigh, he walked to the desk and raised a hand above the wooden frame.

To Minato's surprise, a large scroll and calligraphy pen were conjured into existence on the desk.

"**A gift then, no one in this world has ever been completely content to remain here forever**."

With that, the Shinigami faded away.

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><p>And so, Minato Namikaze wrote. The scroll was endless and the pen's ink never ran dry. He did not once stop for rest or thought, persistent in writing his life. For an eternity, Minato wrote.<p>

He wrote about his childhood and his days with Jiraiya-sensei. He wrote about his eternal love of Kushina and his devotion to her. He wrote about Naruto and how nothing would stop his soul from loving his son. For an Eternity, Minato wrote.

When he was done with his life's story, he turned to his knowledge as a ninja. Minato explained all about the jutsus. He wrote about the elemental affinities and ninjutsus as well as his personal taijutsu style. He even recorded every ninjutsu he had ever used and how to perform them.

After ages of writing, he finally turned to fuinjutsu. He wrote everything, starting from the basics to different parts of a seal and their effects. He explained how to create them and how just about anything could be created with them. When he finished the lessons, he wrote a sample of every seal he had ever created for reference material. Minato even included his failures – in case anyone wanted an example of how to blow their eyebrows off.

Minato was meticulous and made sure that he missed no detail. When he was done, he wrote one final message on the scroll. It was a message to his son.

_Naruto,_

_I don't know if you will ever receive this, but everything about my life and knowledge is recorded inside of this scroll. My life, my knowledge, my emotions, but not my Legacy. Naruto, you are my legacy. I have no regrets and I would change nothing if I was given a second chance. After spending this eternity in purgatory, that much has become clear to me. Inside this scroll is my life's work. If I could give this to you, I would. But, know this, even if we never see each other again… I will always love you._

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><p>When he was done, Minato put the pen down and closed the scroll. Slowly he stood up from the desk and backed away. His order was complete, so Minato turned back to the fire to remember his life.<p>

To his surprise, Shinigami was sitting on the bed next to the fire. The god was perfectly silent and still. An awkward silence crept through the cabin as Minato took a seat on the bed next to the god. They stared into the fire for a short time before the god spoke up.

"**Not once Minato…**"

"What do you mean?" asked Minato as he continued to stare into the fire.

"**Not once have you shown regret in your life. No other soul has done such a thing**."

Minato was silent as Shinigami raised his hand. He watched as the scroll that he had written on floated to the god's hand. Without a sound, the scroll faded from existence.

"**Kami and I have limited influence in the world of the living, but we have decided to grant you a gift…**"

Minato remained silent as the cabin door slammed open. Blinding white light radiated in all directions from the frame. He stared at the perfectly light from his seat on the bed.

"**I will give this scroll to your son if you walk through the door. He will soon be expecting a child, and Kami wishes to return you to him.**"

"Why would you do this?" asked Minato as he stood up to face the door.

"**The boy has already helped us by returning Madara to hell. We have decided to bless him with a favor.**"

"I would prefer that you return Kushina to him instead…"

"**In time, we will return Kushina to you. Kami's favor has extended that far…**"

"Will I remember any of this?"

"**No, but the gods do not break their promises.**"

Minato weighed the options in his mind. He could retain his memories and wait here forever or he could return to the world of the living and be with Naruto again. He would lose his memories, but his soul would be reunited with his son. It took all of two seconds for him to decide as he walked into the light.

His mind faded away as his body walked through the threshold. The smile never left his face as his body disappeared and his soul returned to the mortal world.


End file.
